The present invention relates to an information processing method and its apparatus. More particularly, it relates to a storage-device controlling apparatus and its method, and its program.
There exists a storage that has been known as the so-called NAS (: Network Attached Storage). This storage includes a file system such as the NFS (: Network File System), the CIFS (: Common Internet File System), or the DAFS (: Direct Access File System), and is used under a condition of being connected to a LAN (: Local Area Network). In a network into which the NAS has been introduced, an information processing apparatus connected to the network, such as a computer or a mobile information terminal, utilizes, as a data storage location, a storage region that the NAS provides. For example, a personal computer mounts thereon the storage region that the NAS provides as a volume equivalent to its own disk drive, thereby utilizing the NAS as if the NAS were its own disk drive.
Let's consider a case where an information processing apparatus, which is connected to a LAN into which the NAS has been introduced, tries to access a Web server on the Internet. The user of the information processing apparatus operates, e.g., the Web browser so as to surf around the link set up on Web pages. Otherwise, the user inputs a URL (: Uniform Resource Locator) or the like, thereby accessing a Web page that the user has selected as the object. Also, if, in the access to the Web server like this, the user tries to download a file from the Web server during the browsing of the Web page, the user utilizes a Web-page download function or the like, thereby downloading the file from the Web server onto the information processing apparatus in accordance with a protocol such as the HTTP (: Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or the FTP (: File Transfer Protocol).
As a related background technology, there exists the one disclosed in JP-A-11-272711. This technology, however, includes none of an intention that the file downloaded from the Web server be finally managed by the NAS.